Cover image courtesy of Alma Vale
The Thoroughbred Report delves into some of the fantastic returns achieved by those involved in pinhooking at the 2024 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
The sale catalogued 29 pinhooks, with many reaping the rewards of their ventures into the weanling market the previous year.
One of the standout success stories came from the newly formed Alma Vale/Kitchwin Hills Partnership. Making their debut under this collaborative banner at the esteemed Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, stud manager Verna Metcalfe expressed her delight with the outcomes.
The partnership presented 10 yearlings, with six of them fetching a combined total of $2.19 million. The average selling price stood at $365,000, and the median settled at $430,000. The highest-priced of their offerings was Lot 449, a colt by Zoustar out of the Commands mare Calming Influence, which commanded a final bid of $550,000. Additionally, two pinhooking endeavours closely trailed.
Queens of the Hill
The Alma Vale/Kitchwin Hills Partnership pinhooks at the sale were Lot 496, a Zoustar filly, and Lot 499, a daughter of Exceedance. Metcalfe affectionately described both fillies as 'queens'.
Lot 496 is the fourth foal sired by the Not A Single Doubt mare Donelle. She won twice and was placed in the R. Listed Inglis Banner, as well as finishing fourth in both the G2 Magic Night S. and the G3 Kindergarten S.
This filly hails from the family of the four-time Group 1 winner Riverina Charm (NZ) (Sir Tristram {Ire}), and more recently, the G2 Arrowfield Sprint victor Aft Cabin (Astern). She is a daughter of Widden Stud's Zoustar, who claimed the title of leading sire at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Lot 496 - Zoustar x Donelle (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Previously, this filly as a weanling was presented by Grenville Stud at the 2023 Inglis Great Southern Sale, where the private operation Blackridge Farm acquired her for $280,000. The undisclosed owners, who are clients of the Alma Vale/Kitchwin Hills Partnership, opted to continue her development in lush paddocks with the intention of re-offering her as a yearling.
On Monday, the filly was sold for $500,000 to Trilogy Racing and Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA).
Metcalfe told TTR AusNZ, “The owners want to remain anonymous, but they are good clients of ours who operate in the pinhook market.
“They have achieved some fabulous results. We actually sold another pinhook for them in Melbourne at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, a Deep Field colt (Lot 328) for $475,000. He was a $180,000 pinhook from the 2023 Inglis Sydney Weanling Sale.
Verna Metcalfe | Image courtesy of Inglis
“Their pinhooks come back to us on the farm and we rear them and then prepare them for the weanling sale. They’re very good at pinhooking weanlings and have a great platform they work off in selecting them. They are also very good people to deal with.”
Exceedance filly scores big update
The second of the pinhooks for the Alma Vale/Kitchwin Hills Partnership was Lot 499, the daughter of Vinery Stud’s Exceedance was actually the last lot through the ring for the 2024 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Lot 499 is the fourth foal from the dual Listed winner Dublin Lass (O’Reilly {NZ}). She has proven to click well with the G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner with the pair producing, Dublin Down, a victor of the G3 Maribyrnong Plate and the G3 Pago Pago S.
The filly was one of five Exceedance weanlings offered (six catalogued) at the 2023 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale. She was the only one to be sold in the ring, fetching $100,000 to Kitchwin Hills.
Lot 499 - Exceedance x Dublin Lass (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Re-offered at the 2024 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, the daughter of Exceedance was knocked down for $520,000 by the Ladbrokes Racing Club and Newgate Bloodstock.
“Our stud manager, Oscar Engelbrecht actually helped picked that filly out at the Gold Coast. He’s very pleased with himself, which is deserved, and he’s got a good eye for a horse.
“Oscar is only young, and he’s done a good job. There are a few people in that Exceedance filly, and they’re pretty wrapped with that result.”
“Oscar is only young, and he’s done a good job. There are a few people in that Exceedance filly (Lot 499), and they’re pretty wrapped with that result.” - Verna Metcalfe
“It was excellent when the full brother, Dublin Down came out and won two Group 3 races as a 2-year-old.”
TTR AusNZ managed to catch co-stud manager Oscar Engelbrecht for a word on how he helped pick Lot 499. However, Englebrecht put it down to “sometimes you just need a lot of luck.”
He added, “It’s a pretty cool feeling selling a horse for $525,000 - I don’t think I’ve ever felt that feeling before. We had to wait a long time as well because the filly was the last lot in the sale.
“But her improvement from a weanling to a yearling has been incredible. She’s just such a well-balanced filly - she’s always presented like a racehorse; I don’t think she’s just a sales horse.
Oscar Engelbrecht | Image courtesy of Kitchwin Hills
“I was shortlisting weanlings for the stud manager at the time (Mick Malone), farm and its clients at time and we ended up with about 10 or so on the shortlist and she was one of them.
“Mick had seen the brother Dublin Down as a yearling and loved him so that gave us more confidence in buying the filly. She has always been such a good sort, we both loved her, and she was knocked down to Kitchwin Hills.
“Sometimes you just need a bit of luck and it pulled together with this filly. I am definitely keen to go again this season and be active in the pinhook market.”
“Sometimes you just need a bit of luck and it pulled together with this filly (Lot 499). I am definitely keen to go again this season and be active in the pinhook market.” - Oscar Engelbrecht
Overall Metcalfe was thrilled by the results and is looking forward to reinvesting in the weanling market as a vendor and a potential buyer.
“The Zoustar filly was an absolute queen, they both were. They were just really lovely fillies. Overall, it was a fantastic sale and special because this was our first time selling under the Alma Vale/Kitchwin Hills brand.
“We came with a bang and received support and it give all my staff and everybody a bit of a confidence boost. When you are selling well at any sale, and especially the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale it makes a big difference, and its good people showed such faith in us.
“We came with a bang and received support and it give all my staff and everybody a bit of a confidence boost. When you are selling well at any sale, and especially the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale it makes a big difference.” - Verna Metcalfe
“I’m just stoked for the whole team. We’ll definitely be returning to the pinhook market. As a vendor I’ve got an excellent draft of weanlings heading down to Sydney to sell as well. Most are for clients that have approached us to sell them and they’re some really nice horses.”
Star results
Several other noteworthy pinhooking successes unfolded over the two days of the 2024 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Lot 118 caught attention as a filly sired by Yulong's Champion Stallion, Written Tycoon, out of the Snitzel mare Ludicrous Mode. She is notably a half-sibling to the G2 Bill Stutt S. victor and Group 1-placed Glenfiddich. Initially presented at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale, she was acquired by James Bester Bloodstock and Ridgmont for $190,000. She was later re-offered through the Ridgmont draft and fetched $450,000 from KPW Bloodstock.
Lot 118 - Written Tycoon x Ludicrous Mode (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
Another standout was the Street Boss (USA) filly out of the More Than Ready (USA) mare Not This Time Bridie. James Carey secured her for $60,000 at the 2023 Magic Millions Strawberry Hill Stud Unreserved Dispersal. Presented by Newgate Farm at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, she was purchased by Resolute Racing for $225,000.
The Sledmere Stud consigned Lot 96, a filly by Russian Revolution from the O’Reilly (NZ) mare Karalee was knocked to Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA) for $375,000. A fine result on the $130,000 Sledmere Stud alongside Cangon Stud Farm outlaid at the 2023 Inglis Sydney Weanling Sale.
Lime Country Thoroughbreds also celebrated a brilliant result with Lot 385, a colt by the G1 Golden Slipper winner Farnan from the Fastnet Rock mare Waterloo Sunset. The colt is a half-brother to the G3 Caulfield Classic winner Sunsets (Dundeel {NZ}), who was also placed in the G1 VRC Derby.
Gallery: Sledmere Stud's Lot 96 and Lime Country Thoroughbreds' Lot 385, images courtesy of Inglis
Lot 385 was pinhooked for $180,000 by Black Ridge Farm at the 2023 Inglis Sydney Weanling Sale, re-offered at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale he sold for $400,000 to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott Racing.
While some participants enjoyed success at the 2024 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, others faced challenges. Several entries were withdrawn from the sale, and some failed to meet their reserve prices, remaining unsold at the time of writing.
Interestingly, those pinhookers operating in the higher tiers of the weanling market seemed to experience more modest returns. The repercussions may be met in the upcoming weanling sale markets and will be further discussed in upcoming sale assessments.
